Our 2012 Oceanic Arts Forum will be held at the South Australian Museum. This will be a truly unique experience of the Pacific Cultures collection which will be the focus of the forum. The Pacific Cultures Gallery houses the largest exhibition of Pacific material in Australia, with approximately 3,000 objects on display. The lecture program will be held both in the gallery itself and an adjacent meeting room, and will integrate a unique depth of expertise and insight with the objects on display.

The Pacific Cultures Gallery was re-opened in 2006, after an 8 month renovation, revealing the Victorian lantern ceiling and restored heritage listed display cases. It is being preserved as an example of 19th century museum display, essentially visual storage. The Victorians knew one thing well….there is no substitute for seeing the real object, and to complete the experience in 2012, the Oceanic Art Society Forum will bring you some of the best experts to provide knowledge and understanding of these objects and their origins.

The South Australian Museum is also responsible for the most comprehensive collection of Australian Aboriginal ethnographic material in the world. The newly renovated Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery of the South Australian Museum provides an object-rich experience, featuring over 3,000 items from communities across the country, but in a spectacular modern museum context.

The event begins on the afternoon of Friday 18th May with tours of the Pacific Cultures Gallery and Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery guided by Barry Craig, Senior Curator, Foreign Ethnology, and Tara Collier, Collection Manager for the Aboriginal Collections. Over both Saturday and Sunday, presentations will be given in both the Pacific Cultures Gallery and in the adjacent heritage “Armoury” building. A full list of speakers is provided in the centre pages of this newsletter. The event will culminate with Barry Craig providing a walk through the Pacific Culture Gallery displays with Barry and guest experts highlighting particular objects, themes and providing an interactive question and answer session.

The OAS Forum Dinner on Saturday night will be held at the nearby Chris Jarmer @ Air restaurant, run by TV Chef and 3rd generation cook Chris Jarmer. We have booked the entire restaurant to make your tribal networking as easy as possible.

The cost of the forum is $100 for OAS Members, $115 non-members, and optional forum dinner $65 / head (including complimentary glass of wine). Book now for the Australian tribal art event of the year by using the enclosed booking form.